Origin

To hang someone as a punishment was originally to crucify them. Later it came to involve using a rope, now the only sense in which the past form hanged is used. But in early times it was the only possibility: hung did not appear until the 16th century. The phrase to hang fire originates with the complex firing mechanism of the old flintlock pistol. A small quantity of gunpowder would be loaded into a metal hollow above the trigger, and when the trigger was released a spark from a flint would ignite the gunpowder, which in turn would ignite the main charge, causing it to explode and propel the shot out of the barrel. Sometimes the powder in the pan would fail to explode immediately, perhaps because it was damp, and merely smoulder, causing a delay in the firearm going off. When this happened it was said to hang fire. See also half. The hinge (Middle English) on which you hang a door is closely related to hang.